A Very Lucky Girl

We left our hostel in Budapest shortly after 4:30 AM  to catch our 5:40 AM train. Construction prevented us from using the metro, so we ended up having to walk a mile to the train station. Normally, I would have felt uncomfortable walking in a strange city in the dark, but Budapest was fairly lively for 4:30 AM! Our train trip to Prague was uneventful and we arrived just a few minutes after noon.  Hostel Ananas  was located right off Wenceslas Square. We dumped our backpacks in the luggage room and went in search of lunch. Nothing sounded amazing and we ended up at an Asian restaurant where I ate THE best spring roll. We perused the open market in search of a ring for Jordan, but came up empty handed. We headed for the Old Town Square to see the Prague astronomical clock, which was undergoing renovations. We still decided to climb the clock tower for some killer views of the city! We meandered through the alleys of Prague in the general direction of the Charles Bridg...

We woke up in our B&B in Genova, Italy on Wednesday, Jordan's 23rd birthday. Our train to Rome left at 6:10 AM and we arrived at Rome Termini station a little after 10 AM. Our hostel was located a short 7 minute walk away. We dropped our luggage off at Hotel Alessandro Palace and Bar and announced it was Jordan's birthday. The gentlemen at the reception desk told us to visit the rooftop bar that evening for free champagne. We made a mental note before slathering on the sunscreen and setting out to explore with a paper map.  We hadn't eaten a proper breakfast so we were on the verge of hanger. We turned our steps toward the Via Nazionale which was dotted with restaurants. We made a poor choice. Eliseo's was imitation Italian at best. The cheese on my pizza was waxy and the bolognese Jordan ordered tasted as though they were serving cans of Chef Boyardee. Disappointed and only somewhat full, we continued into the city center of Rome. We found the Trevi Fountain firs...

I haven't been on any big trips since going to Dublin, but a lot of exciting things are coming up in the next few weeks and I can't wait to share them with you all! I've been saving my cash for my upcoming adventures and writing my final essays. I will be done with all things academic related on March 31st! Which means I'll have almost two full months to travel and just soak up Europe without the drag of having to go to 4 hours of class a week. Like ugh. My goal is to complete all of my assignments before Hannah and Megan arrive next week! I've finished one essay and am 1,000 words into my Shakespeare one. It's slow going, but I only have four days until Hannah gets here!! She arrives in Dundee on Tuesday and I am so excited, considering I haven't seen her since August. Megan arrives a couple of days after her and then we have a few days as a trio, recreating our SB12 vacation in NYC. I cannot wait to show them around my home. Being the obnoxious planner th...

It's very humbling to come to a brand new (to me) country, that is in fact older than my own country, and interact with several different cultures at once. Classes don't start until Monday, but I've already gathered a wealth of facts that I never knew before. Boots are not the most comfortable shoes to get lost in It's never too soon to watch Orange Is The New Black with a new friend and then comment on the phallic shaped crackers in our soup. Thanks Nat.  Time changes are the bane of my existence. You mean I have finished lunch and my American friends have barely touched breakfast?  Always carry a grocery bag with you because you never know when you might come across Tesco/Poundland/Lidl and suddenly need to grocery shop. On a related note, large market trips are impossible.  Lemon vodka is the direct equivalent of Smirnoff ice and I will continue to drink it shamelessly. Sluuuurp. Don't believe Aussie's when they tell you they live in fear of the dropbe...

It is currently 11 pm on Saturday in Dundee, Scotland and I am lounging in my bed, settled into Belmont Flat 35, Room 2.  I caved to jet lag and took a nap this afternoon and I already can't wait to go to bed again tonight.  Screw you, time zones. It all started on Friday morning when I arrived at DFW for the 10:25 flight to Minneapolis, the first stop on the journey overseas. The Delta desk attendant informed me that my preciously packed suitcase was 10 pounds overweight and gave me an ultimatum: Unpack those 10 pounds or pay a fee. I needed every ounce of the 61 total pounds, so I forked over the cash. Small price to pay to be warm for 5 months.  Upon takeoff from Dallas, Kylie clutched my hand so hard I still had marks even after we had reached our cruising altitude.  We both listened to music since Pitch Perfect failed to download from icloud in time...no diggity.  We landed in Minneapolis, Minnesota with plenty of time to spare and took turn...

"She is whatever she wants to be...She's got the world at her fingertips."--Ben Rector I've never been more proud of anything in my life than I am that I'm hours away from sitting on an airplane bound for Europe.  I dreamed of studying abroad since high school, fleeting thoughts of "oh, how cool would that be!" I thought a little more seriously about the prospect when college came around, but I didn't intensely pursue it until a year and a half ago.  And a year and a half later...here I am. Ready or Not, Here I Come.  I worked and saved money, I filled out applications, I got advised twice for good measure, I scanned documents, I made copies of valuable papers, I went to the dentist, I sat at a kitchen table and counted pills to make sure my prescriptions would last for six months. I said my goodbyes, some hard, some flippantly easy.  I did this. I made my dream come true.  I know my time studying in Dundee, Scotland will pass far too q...

I've shared before my dream of studying abroad. On Friday I was informed of my acceptance to the University of Dundee for Spring 2014. I've been saving and saving to make this dream a reality and I'm hoping to make my savings stretch as far as I can. And I am talking geographically. I'm thrilled to be moving to Dundee, Scotland for a semester, but I'd love to explore as much as Europe as I can while I'm in the vicinity! My location bucket list includes: Italy: This is my number one, would-pee-with-happiness-if-I-got-to-go, destination. Rome, Venice, Florence. I'd love to do it all, but I'd settle for just Rome. Also, POMPEII, PLEASE. Mount Vesuvius is practically the only thing I remember from middle school history.  Ireland: This is a far more realistic location, considering it neighbors Scotland. Also, St. Patrick's day will occur while I'm abroad, and where else would I celebrate such a holiday!? England: I'm coming for you, Prince H...

I undertook a 40 hour roundtrip roadtrip at the end of my summer. From Oklahoma City to Nashville to Wilmington to Carolina Beach to Raleigh and back through Nashville! It was an 8 day whirlwind of the best kind.  40 hours in a car gave me a lot of time to think. And eat lemonheads. And listen to audiobooks. And sing songs at the top of my lungs. I actually didn't think all that much. But I did take note of several things during my cross-country journey. photo by E. Bell Thank God for Google Maps. I would be at a loss without the calm and collected automated voice telling me which exits to take. She didn't even yell at me when I took a wrong exit and had to backtrack. A human navigator probably would have.  This was the first summer I visited every single state I lived in. In late May I first took to the highway to surprise Moriah Jo, and my overnights in Nashville and Raleigh fulfilled the other state requirements. What a treat to reconnect with so many friends in t...

I'm on a break from work. And it's glorious. We're happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time. It's miserable and magical, oh yeah. Miserable meaning my income has significantly decreased. To about zero. But being free from most obligations and being 21 is a magical time. So much so that I'm not sure how much I'll be updating A Very Lucky Girl. I hate to stop completely, but I cannot promise consistent posts for the next week or two. I will be traveling and starting my second online course of the summer.  I can, however, promise to provide a wonderful recap for The Bachelorette next week. Tyler has graciously volunteered to watch on my behalf and write a review using his uncensored thoughts. I am just as excited to read it as the rest of you.  Also coming soon, when I have a few spare seconds to write, a full report of my 21st birthday and one of my favorite habits I've instituted since last October/November-ish.  A Very Lucky Girl is taking a br...